Kop Tong

Once a bustling village, Kop Tong now stands as a testament to time and resilience. Kop Tong is nestled in the northeastern New Territories of Hong Kong. It’s a place where history whispers through the leaves of ancient trees and the stones of ancestral halls. Kop Tong is over 300 years old. It was founded by the Fan clan, who migrated from Longgang during the late Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty. Kop Tong is one of the seven Hakka villages that form the Hing Chun Yeuk, or Hing Chun Alliance. Imagine Kop Tong in the 1950s, a community of fifteen households, over a hundred residents, raising pigs, tending fields, and harvesting fruit from their orchards. The villagers relied on an ancient path to reach Kuk Po and the Sha Tau Kok market. Children walked to school in the nearby village of Lai Chi Wo. Economic hardship led many villagers to leave Kop Tong, seeking new opportunities in urban areas or overseas in the United Kingdom and Ireland. By 1976, Kop Tong was deserted, its water and electricity cut off. But Kop Tong was not forgotten. Descendants of the original villagers, unable to bear the decay of their ancestral home, began pooling funds in the 1990s and 2000s. They repaired the ancestral hall and cleared overgrown vegetation. Some villagers returned, initially hiking to urban areas for supplies. Eventually, they gained access to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department’s garbage boat. This allowed them to transport over a hundred pounds of cement to Kop Tong, rebuilding houses, terrace fields, and orchards. Electricity was finally restored in 2019. Today, a single family resides in Kop Tong with their pets. They welcome visitors, sharing traditional Hakka dishes and pastries, keeping the spirit of this historic village alive. Kop Tong is situated halfway up Tiu Tang Lung Peak. It offers stunning views of Kat O and the Shenzhen Yantian Container Terminal. Hiking trails weave through the dense woodland surrounding Kop Tong and its neighboring village, Mui Tsz Lam. These woods are home to diverse flora, including the Pavetta hongkongensis and Aquilaria sinensis. Streams flowing from the mountaintop provide habitat for several amphibian species. Kop Tong’s tranquil environment is a testament to the enduring connection between people and place.